Medicine:List of medical roots, suffixes and prefixes

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This is a list of roots, suffixes, and prefixes used in medical terminology, their meanings, and their etymologies. Most of them are combining forms in Neo-Latin and hence international scientific vocabulary. There are a few general rules about how they combine. First, prefixes and suffixes, most of which are derived from ancient Greek or classical Latin, have a droppable vowel, usually -o-. As a general rule, this vowel almost always acts as a joint-stem to connect two consonantal roots (e.g. arthr- + -o- + -logy = arthrology), but generally, the -o- is dropped when connecting to a vowel-stem (e.g. arthr- + -itis = arthritis, instead of ). Second, medical roots generally go together according to language, i.e., Greek prefixes occur with Greek suffixes and Latin prefixes with Latin suffixes. Although international scientific vocabulary is not stringent about segregating combining forms of different languages, it is advisable when coining new words not to mix different lingual roots.

Prefixes and suffixes

The following is an alphabetical list of medical prefixes and suffixes, along with their meanings, origins, and English examples.

A

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
a-, an-	not, without (alpha privative)	Greek ἀ-/ἀν- (a-/an-), not, without	analgesic, apathy, anencephaly
ab-	from; away from	Latin	abduction, abdomen
abdomin-	of or relating to the abdomen	Latin abdōmen, abdomen, fat around the belly	abdomen, abdominal
-ac	pertaining to; one afflicted with	Greek -ακός (-akós)	cardiac, celiac
acanth-	thorn or spine	Greek ἄκανθα (ákantha), thorn	acanthion, acanthocyte, acanthoma, acanthulus
acou-	of or relating to hearing	Greek ἀκούειν (akoúein), ἀκουστικός (akoustikós), of or for hearing	acoumeter, acoustician, hyperacusis
acr-	extremity, topmost	Greek ἄκρον (ákron), highest or farthest point	acrocrany, acromegaly, acroosteolysis, acroposthia, acrosome
-acusis	hearing	Greek ἀκουστικός (akoustikós), of or for hearing	paracusis
-ad	toward, in the direction of	Latin ad, toward, to	dorsad, ventrad
ad-	at, increase, on, toward	Latin ad-, to	adduction, addition
aden-	of or relating to a gland	Greek ἀδήν, ἀδέν-, (adḗn, adén-), an acorn; a gland	adenocarcinoma, adenology, adenotome, adenotyphus
adip-	of or relating to fat or fatty tissue	Latin adeps, adip-, fat	adipocyte
adren-	of or relating to the adrenal glands	Latin ad + rēnēs, kidneys	adrenal artery
-aemia, ema, hemat (BrE)	blood condition	Greek ἀναιμία (anaimía), without blood	anaemia
aer(o)-	air, gas	Greek ἀήρ, ἀέρος (aḗr, aéros)	aerosinusitis, aerodynamics
aesthesi- (BrE)	sensation	Greek αἴσθησις (aísthēsis)	anaesthesia
-al	pertaining to	Latin -alis	abdominal, femoral
alb-	denoting a white or pale color	Latin albus, white	albino, tunica albica
alge(si)-	pain	Greek ἄλγος (álgos)	analgesic
-algia, alg(i)o-	pain	Greek	myalgia
all-	denoting something as different, or as an addition	Greek ἄλλος (állos), another, other	alloantigen, allopathy
ambi-	denoting something as positioned on both sides; describing both of two	Latin ambi-, ambo, both, on both sides	ambidextrous
amnio-	Pertaining to the membranous fetal sac (amnion)	Greek ἄμνιον (ámnion)	amniocentesis
amph(i)-,	on both sides	Greek ἀμφί (amphí)	amphicrania, amphismela, amphomycin
amylo-	starchy, carbohydrate-related	Latin amylum (starch)	amylase, amylophagia
an-	not, without (alpha privative)	Greek	analgesia
ana-	back, again, up	Greek ἀνα- (ana-)	anaplasia
an-	anus	Latin	anal
andr-	pertaining to a man	Greek ἀνήρ, ἀνδρ- (anḗr, andr-), male	android, andrology, androgen
angi-	blood vessel	Greek ἀγγεῖον (angeîon)	angiogram, angioplasty
aniso-	describing something as unequal	Greek ἄνῑσος (ánīsos), unequal	anisocytosis, anisotropic
ankyl-, ancyl-	denoting something as crooked or bent	Greek ἀγκύλος (ankúlos), crooked, curved	ankylosis
ante-	describing something as positioned in front of another thing	Latin āntē, before, in front of	antepartum
anthropo-	human	Greek ἄνθρωπος (ánthrōpos), human	anthropology
anti-	describing something as 'against' or 'opposed to' another	Greek ἀντί (antí), against	antibody, antipsychotic
apo-	away, separated from, derived from	Greek ἀπό (apó)	apoptosis, apocrine
archi-	first, primitive	Greek ἀρχι- (arkhi-)	archinephron
arsen(o)-	of or pertaining to a male; masculine	Greek ἀρσενικός (arsenikós)	arsenoblast
arteri(o)-	of or pertaining to an artery	Greek ἀρτηρία (artēría), a wind-pipe, artery (used distinctly versus a vein)	arteriole, artery
arthr-	of or pertaining to the joints, limbs	Greek ἄρθρον (árthron), a joint, limb	arthritis
articul-	joint	Latin articulus	Articulation
-ary	pertaining to	Latin -arius	biliary tract, coronary
-ase	enzyme	from Greek διάστασις (δια- (dia-, part, apart) + στάσις (stásis, stand)), division	Lactase
-asthenia	weakness	Greek ἀσθένεια (asthéneia)	Myasthenia gravis
atel(o)-	imperfect or incomplete development	Greek ἀτελής (atelḗs), without end, incomplete	atelocardia
ather-	fatty deposit, soft gruel-like deposit	ἀθάρη (athárē)	Atherosclerosis
-ation	process	Latin	medication, civilization
atri-	an atrium (esp. heart atrium)	Latin	atrioventricular
aur-	of or pertaining to the ear	Latin auris, the ear	Aural
aut-	self	Greek αὐτός, αὐτο- (autós, auto-)	Autoimmune, autograph, autobiography, automobile, automatic
aux(o)-	increase; growth	Greek αὐξάνω, αὔξω (auxánō, aúxō)	Auxocardia: enlargement of the heart, auxology
axill-	of or pertaining to the armpit (uncommon as a prefix)	Latin axilla, armpit	Axilla
azo(to)-	nitrogenous compound	French azote, nitrogen; from Greek άζωτικός (ázōtikós) ἀ- (a-, no, without) + ζωή (zōḗ, life)), mephitic air	azothermia: raised temperature due to nitrogenous substances in blood

B

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
bacillus	rod-shaped	Latin baculus, stick	Bacillus anthracis
bacteri-	Pertaining to bacteria	Latin bacterium; Greek βακτήριον (baktḗrion), small staff	bacteriophage, bactericide
balan-	of the glans penis or glans clitoridis	Greek βάλανος (bálanos), acorn, glans	balanitis
bas-	of or pertaining to base	Greek βάσις (básis), foundation, base	basolateral
bi-	twice, double	Latin bi-	binary vision, bicycle, bisexual
bio-	life	Greek βίος (bíos)	biology, biological
blast-	germinate or bud	Greek βλαστός (blastós)	blastomere
blephar(o)-	of or pertaining to the eyelid	Greek βλέφαρον (blépharon), eyelid	blepharoplasty
brachi(o)-	of or relating to the arm	Latin bracchium, from Greek βραχίων (brakhíōn), arm	brachium of inferior colliculus
brachy-	indicating 'short' or less commonly 'little'	Greek βραχύς (brakhús), short, little, shallow	brachycephalic
brady-	slow	Greek βραδύς (bradús), slow	bradycardia, bradyzoite
bronch(i)-	of or relating to the bronchus	Latin bronchus; Greek βρόγχος (brónkhos), windpipe	bronchitis, bronchiolitis obliterans
bucc(o)-	of or pertaining to the cheek	Latin bucca, cheek	buccolabial
burs(o)-	bursa (fluid sac between the bones)	Latin bursa, purse; Greek βύρσα (búrsa), hide, wine-skin	bursa, bursitis

C

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
capill-	of or pertaining to hair	Latin capillus, hair	capillus
capit-	pertaining to the head as a whole	Latin caput, capit-, the head	capitation, decapitation
carcin-	cancer	Greek καρκίνος (karkínos), crab	carcinoma
cardi-	of or pertaining to the heart	Greek καρδία (kardía), heart	cardiology
carp-	of or pertaining to the wrist	Latin carpus < Greek καρπός (karpós), wrist; NOTE: This root should not be confused with the mirror root carp(o)- meaning fruit.	carpal, carpopedal spasm, metacarpal
cata-	down, under	Greek κατά (katá)	catabolism, catacombs, cataract
-cele	pouching, hernia	Greek κήλη (kḗlē)	hydrocele, varicocele
-centesis	surgical puncture for aspiration	Greek κέντησις (kéntēsis)	amniocentesis
cephal(o)-	of or pertaining to the head (as a whole)	Greek κεφαλή (kephalḗ), the head	cephalalgy, hydrocephalus
cerat(o)-	of or pertaining to the cornu; a horn	Greek κέρας, κερατ- (kéras, kerat-), a horn	ceratoid
cerebell(o)-	of or pertaining to the cerebellum	Latin cerebellum, little brain	cerebellum
cerebr(o)-	of or pertaining to the brain	Latin cerebrum, brain	cerebrology
cervic-	of or pertaining to the neck or the cervix	Latin cervix, cervīc-), neck, cervix	cervical vertebrae, cervicodorsal
cheil-	of or pertaining to the lips	Greek χεῖλος (kheîlos), lip, mouth, beak	angular cheilitis
chem(o)-	chemistry, drug	Greek χημεία (khēmeía)	chemical, chemistry, chemotherapy
chir-, cheir-	of or pertaining to the hand	Greek χείρ, χειρο- (kheír, kheiro-), hand	chiropractor
chlor-	denoting a green color	Greek χλωρός (khlōrós), green, yellow-green	chlorophyll
bil(i)-, chol(e)-	of or pertaining to bile	Greek χολή (kholḗ), bile	cholaemia (UK) / cholemia (US), cholecystitis
cholecyst(o)-	of or pertaining to the gallbladder	Greek χοληκύστις (kholēkústis), gallbladder < χολή (kholḗ), bile, gall + κύστις (kústis), bladder	cholecystectomy
chondr(i)o-	cartilage, gristle, granule, granular	Greek χονδρός (grc)	chondrocalcinosis
chrom(ato)-	color	Greek χρῶμα (khrôma)	hemochromatosis
-cidal, -cide	killing, destroying	Latin -cīda, cutter, killer	bacteriocidal, suicide, suicidal
cili-	of or pertaining to the cilia, the eyelashes; eyelids	Latin cilium, eyelash; eyelid	ciliary
circum-	denoting something as 'around' another	Latin circum, around	circumcision
cis-	on this side	Latin cis	cisgender
-clast	break	Greek κλαστός (klastós), broken	osteoclast
clostr-	spindle	Greek κλωστήρ (klōstḗr), spindle, thread	Clostridium
co-	with, together, in association	Latin co-	coenzymes, co-organization
-coccus, ‑coccal	round, spherical	Greek κόκκος (kókkos), berry, seed	Streptococcus
col-, colo-, colono-	colon	Greek κόλον (kólon)	colonoscopy
colp-	of or pertaining to the vagina	Greek κόλπος (kólpos), bosom, womb; hollow, depth	colposcopy
com-	with, together	Latin cum	communicate
contra-	against	Latin contrā	contraindication
cor-	with, together	Latin cor-	corrective
cor-	of or pertaining to the eye's pupil	Greek κόρη (kórē), girl, doll; pupil of the eye	corectomy
cord(i)-	of or pertaining to the heart (uncommon as a prefix)	Latin cor, heart	commotio cordis,
cornu-	applied to describing processes and parts of the body as likened or similar to horns	Latin cornū, horn	greater cornu
coron-	pertaining to the heart	Latin corōna	coronary heart disease
cortic-	cortex, outer region	Latin cortex, bark of a tree	corticosteroid
cost-	of or pertaining to the ribs	Latin costa, rib	costochondral
cox-	of or relating to the hip, haunch, or hip-joint	Latin coxa, hip	coxopodite
crani(o)-	belonging or relating to the cranium	Latin cranium, from Greek κρᾱνίον (krāníon), cranium, skull, bones enclosing the brain	craniology
-crine, crin(o)-	to secrete	Greek κρίνω (krínō), separate, divide, discern	endocrine
cry(o)-	cold	Greek κρύος (krúos), cold, frost	cryoablation, cryogenic
cutane-	skin	Latin cutis	subcutaneous
cyan(o)-	having a blue color	Greek κύανος, κυάνεος (kúanos, kuáneos, blue, of the color blue)	cyanopsia, cyanosis
cycl-	circle, cycle	Greek κύκλος (kúklos)	cyclosis, cyclops, tricycle
cyph(o)-	denotes something as bent (uncommon as a prefix)	Greek κυφός (kuphós), bent, hunchback	cyphosis
cyst(o)-, cyst(i)-	of or pertaining to the urinary bladder	Greek κύστις (kústis), bladder, cyst	cystotomy
cyt(o)-, -cyte	cell	Greek κύτος (kútos), a hollow, vessel	cytokine, leukocyte, cytoplasm

D

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
dacry(o)-	of or pertaining to tears	Greek δάκρυ, tear	dacryoadenitis, dacryocystitis
-dactyl(o)-	of or pertaining to a finger, toe	Greek δάκτυλος (dáktulos), finger, toe	dactylology, polydactyly
de-	from, down, or away from	Latin de-	dehydrate, demonetize, demotion
dent-	of or pertaining to teeth	Latin dens, dentis, tooth	dentifrice, dentist, dentition, dental
dermat(o)-, derm(o)-	of or pertaining to the skin	Greek δέρμα, δέρματος (dérma, dérmatos), skin, human skin	dermatology, epidermis, hypodermic, xeroderma
-desis	binding	Greek δέσις (désis)	arthrodesis
dextr(o)-	right, on the right side	Latin dexter	dextrocardia
di-	two	Greek δι-	diplopia,
di-	apart, separation	Latin dis-	dilation, distal, dilute
dia-	through, during, across	Greek διά (diá), through, during, across	dialysis
dif-	apart, separation	Latin dif-	different
digit-	of or pertaining to the finger [rare as a root]	Latin digitus, finger, toe	digit
diplo-	twofold	Greek διπλόος (diplóos)	diploid, diplosis
-dipsia	(condition of) thirst	Greek δίψα (dípsa)	dipsomania, hydroadipsia, oligodipsia, polydipsia
dis-	separation, taking apart	Latin dis-	dissection
dors(o)-, dors(i)-	of or pertaining to the back	Latin dorsum, back	dorsal, dorsocephalad
dromo-	running, conduction, course	Greek δρόμος (drómos)	dromotropic, syndrome
duodeno-	twelve	Latin duodeni	duodenal atresia, duodenum
dura-	hard	Latin durus	dura mater
dynam(o)-	force, energy, power	Greek δύναμις (dúnamis)	hand strength dynamometer, dynamics
-dynia	pain	Greek ὀδύνη (odúnē)	vulvodynia
dys-	bad, difficult, defective, abnormal	Greek δυσ- (dus-)	dysentery, dysphagia, dysphasia

E

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
-eal (see -al)	pertaining to	English -al, from Latin -ālis	adenohypophyseal, corneal, esophageal, perineal
ec-	out, away	Greek ἐκ (ek), out of, from	ectopia, ectopic pregnancy
ect(o)-	outer, outside	Greek ἐκτός (ektós)	ectoblast, ectoderm, ectoplasm
-ectasia, -ectasis	expansion, dilation	Greek ἔκτασις (éktasis)	bronchiectasis, telangiectasia
-ectomy	denotes a surgical operation or removal of a body part; resection, excision	Greek ἐκτομή (ektomḗ), excision	mastectomy
-emesis	vomiting condition	Greek ἕμεσις (hémesis)	hematemesis
-emia	blood condition (Am. Engl.)	Greek αἷμα (haîma), "blood"	anemia
encephal(o)-	of or pertaining to the brain; see also cerebro-	Greek ἐγκέφαλος (enképhalos), the brain	encephalogram
endo-	denotes something as inside or within	Greek ἔνδον (éndon), inside, internal	endocrinology, endospore, endoskeleton
eosin(o)-	having a red color	Greek ἠώς (ēṓs), dawn, daybreak, morning red, goddess of the dawn (Ἠώς, Ēṓs)	eosinophil granulocyte
enter(o)-	of or pertaining to the intestine	Greek ἔντερον (énteron), intestine	gastroenterology
epi-	on, upon	Greek ἐπι- (epi-), before, upon, on, outside, outside of	epicardium, epidermis, epidural, episclera, epistaxis, epidemic
episi(o)-	of or pertaining to the pubic region, the loins	Greek ἐπίσιον (epísion), the pubic area, loins; vulva	episiotomy
erythr(o)-	having a red color	Greek ἐρυθρός (eruthrós), red	erythrocyte
-esophageal, -esophago-	gullet (AmE)	Greek οἰσοφάγος (oisophágos)	esophagus
esthesio-	sensation (AmE)	Greek αἴσθησις (aísthēsis), to perceive	esthesioneuroblastoma, esthesia
eu-	true, good, well, normal	εὖ (eû)	eukaryote, euglycemia
ex-	out of, away from, to remove	Latin ex-	excision, exsanguination
exo-	denotes something as "outside" another	Greek ἔξω (éxō), outside of, external	exophthalmos, exoskeleton, exoplanet
extra-	outside	Latin extra, outside of, beyond	extradural hematoma extraordinary, extreme

F

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
faci-	of or pertaining to the face	Latin faciēs, the face, countenance	facioplegic, facial
fibr-	fiber	Latin fibra, fiber, filament, entrails	fibril, fibrin, fibrinous pericarditis, fibroblast, fibrosis
fil-	fine, hair-like	Latin fīlum, thread	filament, filum terminale
foramen	hole, opening, or aperture, particularly in bone	Latin forāmen	foramen magnum
-form	used to form adjectives indicating "having the form of"	Latin fōrma, form, shape	cruciform, cuneiform, falciform
fore-	before or ahead	Old English fōr(e)-, before, in front of	foregut, foreshadow
fossa	a hollow or depressed area; a trench or channel	Latin fossa, ditch, pit	fossa ovalis
front-	of or pertaining to the forehead	Latin frōns, front-, the forehead	frontonasal

G

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
galact-	milk	Greek γάλα, γαλακτ- (gála, galakt-)	galactorrhea, galaxy
gastr-	of or pertaining to the stomach	Greek γαστήρ, γαστρ- (gastḗr, gastr-), stomach, belly	gastroenterology, gastropod
-gen	*born in, from of a certain kind	Greek -γενής (-genḗs), from γεν-νάειν (gen-náein), to be born	*endogen heterogenous
-genic	formative; pertaining to producing	Greek -γενής (-genḗs)	cardiogenic shock
genu-	of or pertaining to the knee	Latin genū, knee	genu valgum
-geusia	taste	Greek γεῦσις (geûsis)	ageusia, dysgeusia, hypergeusia, hypogeusia, parageusia
gingiv-	of or pertaining to the gums	Latin gingīva, gum	gingivitis
glauc(o)-	Having a grey or bluish-grey colour	Greek γλαυκός (glaukós), grey, bluish-grey	glaucoma
gloss(o)-, glott(o)-	of or pertaining to the tongue	Greek γλῶσσα, γλῶττα (glôssa, glôtta), tongue	glossology
gluco-	sweet	Greek γλυκύς (glukús), sweet	glucocorticoid, glucose
glyc-	sugar	Greek γλυκύς (glukús), sweet	glycolysis
gnath-	of or pertaining to the jaw	Greek γνάθος (gnáthos), jaw	gnathodynamometer
-gnosis	knowledge	Greek γνῶσις (), inquiry, knowledge	diagnosis, prognosis
gon-	seed, semen; reproductive	Greek (), fruit, seed, procreating	gonorrhea
-gram, -gramme	record or picture	Greek (), picture, letter, writing	angiogram, gramophone
-graph	instrument used to record data or picture	Greek (), written, drawn, graphic interpretation	electrocardiograph, seismograph
-graphy	process of recording	Greek (), written, drawn, graphic interpretation	angiography
gyno-, gynaeco- (BrE), gyneco- (AmE)	woman	Greek , ()	gynaecology, gynecomastia, gynoecium

H

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
halluc-	to wander in mind	Latin , to wander in mind	hallucinosis, hallucination
hem(at)-, haem(ato)-	of or pertaining to blood	Latin , from Greek , (), blood	hematology, older form haematology
hema-, hemo-	blood (AmE)	Greek , (), blood	hemal, hemoglobin
hemangi(o)-	blood vessels	Greek , (), blood, + (), vessel, urn	hemangioma
hemi-	one-half	Greek (), half	cerebral hemisphere
hepat-, hepatic-	of or pertaining to the liver	Greek , (), the liver	hepatology, hepatitis
heter(o)-	denotes something as "the other" (of two), as an addition, or different	Greek (), the other (of two), another; different	heterogeneous
hidr(o)-	sweat	Greek , (), sweat, perspiration	hyperhidrosis
hist(o)-, histio-	tissue	Greek (), web, tissue	histology
home(o)-	similar	Greek (), like, resembling, similar	homeopathy
hom(o)-	denotes something as "the same" as another or common	Greek (), the same, common	homosexuality, homozygote, homophobic
humer(o)-	of or pertaining to the shoulder (or [rarely] the upper arm)	Latin , shoulder	humerus
hydr(o)-	water	Greek (), water	hydrophobe, hydrogen
hyper-	extreme or beyond normal	Greek (), over, above; beyond, to the extreme	hypertension, hypertrichosis
hyp(o)-	below normal	Greek , (), below, under	hypovolemia, hypoxia
hyster(o)-	of or pertaining to the womb or the uterus	Greek (), womb	hysterectomy, hysteria

I

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
-iasis	condition, formation, or presence of	Latin , pathological condition or process; from Greek (), cure, repair, mend	mydriasis
iatr(o)-	of or pertaining to medicine or a physician (uncommon as a prefix but common as a suffix; see -iatry)	Greek (), healer, physician	iatrochemistry, iatrogenesis
-iatry	denotes a field in medicine emphasizing a certain body component	Greek (), healer, physician	podiatry, psychiatry
-ic	pertaining to	Greek ()	hepatic artery
-ics	organized knowledge, treatment	Latin , collection of related things, theme; cognate with Greek (), of, pertaining to	obstetrics
idio-	self, one's own	Greek (), one's own	idiopathic
ileo-	ileum	Greek (), to shut in, intestinal obstruction	ileocecal valve
infra-	below	Latin , below	infrahyoid muscles
inter-	between, among	Latin	interarticular ligament
intra-	within	Latin	intramural
ipsi-	same	Latin	ipsilateral
irid(o)-	of or pertaining to the iris	Latin , rainbow; from Greek (), rainbow	iridectomy
isch-	restriction	Greek (), hold back, restrain	ischemia
ischio-	of or pertaining to the ischium, the hip-joint	Greek (), hip-joint, ischium	ischioanal fossa
-ine	of or pertaining to	Latin , of or pertaining to; cognate with Greek , added to form adjectives relating to material, time, and so on	morphine, masculine/​feminine
-ism	condition, disease	Greek (), suffix forming abstract nouns of state, condition, doctrine	dwarfism
-ismus	spasm, contraction	Greek	hemiballismus
iso-	denoting something as being equal	Greek (), equal	isotonic
-ist	one who specializes in	Greek (), agent noun, one who practices	pathologist
-ite	the nature of, resembling	Latin , those belonging to, from Greek ()	dendrite
-itis	inflammation	Greek () fem. form of (), pertaining to, because it was used with the feminine noun (, disease), thus , disease of the, disease pertaining to	tonsillitis
-ium	structure, tissue	Latin , aggregation or mass of (such as tissue)	pericardium

J–K

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
juxta-	near to, alongside, or next to	Latin	juxtaglomerular apparatus
kal-	potassium	New Latin , potassium	hyperkalemia
kary-	nucleus	Greek (), nut	eukaryote
kerat-	cornea (eye or skin)	Greek (), horn	keratoscope
kine-	movement	Greek (), to move, to change	akinetopsia, kinesthesia
koil-	hollow	Greek ()	koilocyte
kyph-	humped	Greek (), bent forward, stooping, hunchbacked	kyphoscoliosis

L

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
labi-	of or pertaining to the lip	Latin , , lip	labiodental
lacrim(o)-	tear	Latin , tear from crying	Lacrimal canaliculi
lact(i)-, lact(o)	milk	Latin , milk	lactation, lactose
lapar(o)-	of or pertaining to the abdominal wall, flank	Greek (), flank	laparotomy
laryng(o)-	of or pertaining to the larynx, the lower throat cavity where the voice box is	Greek , (), throat, gullet	larynx
latero-	lateral	Latin , lateral, of or belonging to the side	lateral pectoral nerve
lei(o)-	smooth	Greek (), smooth	leiomyoma
-lepsis, -lepsy	attack, seizure	Greek (), seizure	epilepsy, narcolepsy
lept(o)-	light, slender	Greek (), thin, lean	leptomeningeal
leuc(o)-, leuk(o)-	denoting a white color	Greek (), white, bright, pale	leukocyte
lingu(a)-, lingu(o)-	of or pertaining to the tongue	Latin , tongue, speech, language	linguistics
lip(o)-	fat	Greek (), fat, lard	liposuction
liss(os)-	smooth	Greek (), smooth	lissencephaly
lith(o)-	stone, calculus	Greek ()	lithotripsy
log(o)-	speech	Greek ()	dialog, catalog, logos
-logist	denotes someone who studies a certain field (the field of _____-logy); a specialist; one who treats	Greek (), studier, practitioner (lit., accountant)	oncologist, pathologist
-logy	denotes the academic study or practice of a certain field; the study of	Greek () base noun for the study of something	hematology, urology
lumb(o)-, lumb(a)-	of or relating to the part of the trunk between the lowest ribs and the pelvis.	Latin or , loin	lumbar vertebrae
lymph(o)-	lymph	Latin , water	lymphedema
lys(o)-, -lytic	dissolution	Greek (), loosen, release, + -ic	lysosome
-lysis	destruction, separation	Greek (), loosen, release	paralysis

M

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
macr(o)-	large, long	Greek (), long, tall	macrophage
-malacia	softening	Greek (), soft, weak, self-indulgent	osteomalacia
mamm(o)-	of or pertaining to the breast	Latin , breast, udder	mammogram
mammill(o)-	of or pertaining to the nipple	Latin , nipple	mammillaplasty, mammillitis
manu-	of or pertaining to the hand	Latin , hand	manufacture
mast(o)-	of or pertaining to the breast	Greek (), breast, woman's breast, man's pectoral muscle	mastectomy
meg(a)-, megal(o)-, -megaly	enlargement, million	Greek (), big, large, great, mighty	splenomegaly, megameter
melan(o)-	having a black color	Greek , (), black, dark	melanin
melos	extremity	Greek (), part of a body, limb, member	erythromelalgia
mening(o)-	membrane	Greek ()	meninges, meningitis
men-	month, menstrual cycle	Greek (), month	menopause, menorrhagia
mer(o)-	part	Greek (), part, component, region	merocrine, meroblastic
mes-	middle	Greek (), middle, between, half	mesoderm, mesothelium
met, meta-	after, beside, beyond or change	Greek (), with, among, along with, in common with	metacarpal, metacarpus, metacromion, metanephros, metatheria
-meter	instrument used to measure or count	Greek (), measure or property, something used to measure	sphygmomanometer, thermometer
-metry	process of measuring, -meter + -y (see -meter)	Greek ()	optometry
metr-	pertaining to conditions or instruments of the uterus	Greek (), womb, uterus	metrorrhagia
micr-	millionth; denoting something as small, relating to smallness	Greek (), small	microscope
milli-	thousandth	Latin , thousand	milliliter
mon-	single	Greek ()	infectious mononucleosis
morph-	form, shape	Greek ()	morphology
muscul(o)-	muscle	Latin , muscle (lit. mouse-like, due to mouse-shaped appearance of some muscles; loanword from Greek (), mouse, + Latin , diminutive suffix)	musculoskeletal system
my(o)-	of or relating to muscle	Greek , (), muscle, mouse, mussel	myoblast
myc(o)-	fungus	Greek , (), mushroom or fungus	onychomycosis
myel(o)-	of or relating to bone marrow or the spinal cord	Greek (), marrow, bone-marrow	myelin sheath, myeloblast
myl(o)-	of or relating to molar teeth or the lower jaw	Greek (, mill, grind, molars	mylohyoid nerve
myri-	ten thousand	Greek (), innumerable, countless, infinite	myriad
myring(o)-	eardrum	Latin , eardrum	myringotomy
myx(o)-	mucus	Greek (), mucus, nasal discharge	myxoma

N

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
nan(o)-	dwarf, small	Greek (), dwarf	nanogram, nanosecond
narc(o)-	numb, sleep	Greek (), numbess, torpor	narcolepsy
nas(o)-	of or pertaining to the nose	Latin , nose	nasal
nat(o)-	birth	Latin , born, arisen, made	neonatology
necr(o)-	death	Greek (), dead body, corpse, dying person	necrosis, necrotizing fasciitis
neo-	new	Greek (), young, youthful, new, fresh	neoplasm
nephr(o)-	of or pertaining to the kidney	Greek (), kidney	nephrology
nerv-	of or pertaining to nerves and the nervous system (uncommon as a root: neuro- mostly always used)	Latin , tendon, nerve; cognate with Greek (), tendon, string, nerve	nerve, nervous system
neur-	of or pertaining to nerves and the nervous system	Greek (), tendon, sinew, nerve	neurofibromatosis
noci-	pain, injury, hurt	Latin	nociception
norm-, normo-	normal	Latin , norm or standard; lit. carpenter's square	normocapnia

O

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
ocul-	of or pertaining to the eye	Latin , the eye	Oculist
odont-	of or pertaining to teeth	Greek , (), tooth	orthodontist
odyn-	pain	Greek ()	stomatodynia
-oesophageal, oesophago- (BrE)	gullet	Greek ()	oesophagus
-oid	resemblance to	Greek (), like, connected to, pertaining to	Sarcoidosis
ole	small or little	Latin , suffix to form a diminutive of the noun	arteriole
olig-	having little, having few	Greek (), few	oligotrophy
om(o)-	shoulder	Greek (), shoulder	omoplate
-oma (singular), -omata (plural)	tumor, mass, fluid collection	Greek (), suffix added to verbs to form nouns indicating the result of a process or action; cf. English -tion	sarcoma, teratoma, mesothelioma
omphal(o)-	of or pertaining to the navel, the umbilicus	Greek (), navel, belly-button	omphalotomy
onco-	tumor, bulk, volume	Greek ()	oncology
-one			hormone
onych(o)-	of or pertaining to the nail (of a finger or toe)	Greek , (), nail; claw; talon	onychophagy
oo-	of or pertaining to an (egg), a woman's egg, the ovum	Greek , (), egg, ovum	oogenesis
oophor(o)-	of or pertaining to the woman's (ovary)	Neoclassical Greek (), ovary, egg-bearing	oophorectomy
ophthalm(o)-	of or pertaining to the (eye)	Greek (), the eye	ophthalmology
opistho-	back, behind, rear	Greek (), behind, at the back	opisthotonus
-opsy	examination or inspection	Greek (), view	biopsy, autopsy
optic(o)-	of or relating to chemical properties of the eye	Middle French ; from Greek (); cognate with Latin , relating to the eye	opticochemical, biopsy
or(o)-	of or pertaining to the mouth	Latin , , mouth	oral
-or	one who, agent noun–forming suffix	generally appended where Latin would do it—to the root of a Latin-type perfect passive participle. Cf. -er	doctor
orchi(o)-, orchid(o)-, orch(o)-	testis	Greek (), testicle, ovary	orchiectomy, orchidectomy
orth(o)-	denoting something as straight or correct	Greek (), straight, correct, normal	orthodontist
-osis	a condition, disease, process or increase	Greek (), state, abnormal condition, action	Harlequin type ichthyosis, psychosis, osteoporosis, phagocytosis
ossi-, osse-	bone, bony	Latin , bone	peripheral ossifying fibroma, osseous
ost(e)-, oste(o)-	bone	Greek (), bone	osteoporosis, osteoarthritis
ot(o)-	of or pertaining to the ear	Greek , (), the ear	otology
-ous	pertaining to	Latin , full of, prone to	porous
ovari(o)-	of or pertaining to the ovaries	Latin , ovary	ovariectomy
ovo-, ovi-, ov-	of or pertaining to the eggs, the ovum	Latin , egg, ovum	ovogenesis
oxo-, ox/i	addition of oxygen
oxy-	sharp, acid, acute; oxygen	borrowed from French (originally , 'acidifying principle', referring to oxygen's role in the formation of acids, from Greek (), sharp, pointed + (), birth)	oxytocin, oxygenated, oxycodone

P

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
pachy-	thick	Greek (), thick, large, stout	pachyderma, pachyderm
-pagus	Indicates conjoined twins, with the first part denoting the organs fused	Greek (), fixed, set, fastened	xiphopagus, parapagus dicephalus, craniopagus parasiticus
palpebr-	of or pertaining to the eyelid (uncommon as a root)	Latin , eyelid	palpebra
pan-, pant(o)-	denoting something as 'complete' or containing 'everything'; "all"	Greek , (), all, every	panophobia, panopticon, pancytopenia (deficiency in all blood cell types - erythrocytes, leukocytes, thrombocytes)
papill-	of or pertaining to the nipple (of the chest/breast)	Latin , nipple; diminutive of papula (see below)	papillitis
papul(o)-	Indicates papulosity, a small elevation or swelling in the skin, a pimple, swelling	Latin , pimple, pustle; a small elevation or swelling in the skin	papulation
para-	alongside of	Greek ()	paracyesis
-paresis	slight paralysis	Greek ()	hemiparesis
parvo-	small	Latin , small, little, unimportant	Parvovirus
path(o)-	disease	Greek (), pain, suffering, condition	Pathology
-pathy	denotes (with a negative sense) a disease, or disorder	Greek (), suffering, accident	sociopathy, neuropathy
pauci-	Few	Latin	Pauci-immune
pector-	breast or chest	Latin	pectoralgia, pectoriloquy, pectorophony
ped-, -ped-, -pes	of or pertaining to the foot; -footed	Latin , , foot	Pedoscope
ped-, pedo-	of or pertaining to the child	Greek , (), child	pediatrics. pedophilia
pelv(i)-, pelv(o)-	hip bone	Latin , basin	Pelvis
-penia	deficiency	Greek , poverty, indigence	osteopenia
peo-	of or pertaining to the penis	Greek ()	Peotomy
-pepsia	denotes something relating to digestion, or the digestive tract.	Greek (), cooked, digested < (), I boil, cook; digest	dyspepsia
per-	through	Latin , through, by means of	percutaneous
peri-	denoting something with a position 'surrounding' or 'around' another	Greek (), around, about, concerning	periodontal
-pexy	fixation	Greek (), fixing in place, fastening	nephropexy
phaco-	lens-shaped	Greek (), lentil-bean	phacolysis, phacometer, phacoscotoma
-phagia, -phage	Forms terms denoting conditions relating to eating or ingestion	Greek () eating < (), to eat	Sarcophagia
-phago-	eating, devouring	Greek (), eater of, eating	phagocyte
phagist-	Forms nouns that denote a person who 'feeds on' the first element or part of the word	Greek () eater; see -phagia	Lotophagi
-phagy	Forms nouns that denotes 'feeding on' the first element or part of the word	Greek φαγία () eating; see -phagia	hematophagy
phall-	phallus	Greek (), penis	Aphallia
pharmac-	drug, medication	Greek (), witchcraft, drug	pharmacology
pharyng-	of or pertaining to the pharynx, the upper throat cavity	Greek , (), throat, windpipe; chasm	pharyngitis, pharyngoscopy
-phil(ia)	attraction for	Greek (), friendship, love, affection	hemophilia
phleb-	of or pertaining to the (blood) veins, a vein	Greek , (), blood-vessel, vein	phlebography, phlebotomy
-phobia	exaggerated fear, sensitivity, aversion	Greek (), terror, fear, flight, panic	arachnophobia
phon-	sound	Greek ()	phonograph, symphony
phos-	of or pertaining to light or its chemical properties, now historic and used rarely. See the common root phot- below.	Greek , , φωτ- (), light	phosphene
phot-	of or pertaining to light	Greek (), < (), light	photopathy
phren-, phrenic-	the mind	Greek (), intellect, wits, mind	phrenic nerve, schizophrenia
phyllo-	leaf-like	Greek (), leaf, foliage, plant	phyllodes tumour, phyllotaxis
-phyte, phyto-	to grow	Greek (), plant, tree	hydrophyte
pia	soft	Medieval Latin , tender mother, from Latin , , pious, dutiful, good	pia mater
piri-	Pear	Latin , cognate with Greek (), pear	Piriformis muscle
-plasia	formation, development	Greek (), moulding, conformation	Achondroplasia
-plasty	surgical repair, reconstruction	Greek (), molded, formed	rhinoplasty
-plegia	paralysis	Greek (), stroke (from a sword), from (), to strike or smite	paraplegia
pleio-	more, excessive, multiple	Greek (), more	pleiomorphism
pleur-	of or pertaining to the ribs	Greek (), rib, side of the body	Pleurogenous
-plexy	stroke or seizure	Greek , (), to strike or smite	Cataplexy
pne-, pneum-	air, breath, lung	Greek (), (), ()	apnea, pneumatology, pneumonocyte, pneumonia
pod-, -pod-, -pus	of or pertaining to the foot, -footed	Greek (), foot	podiatry
-poiesis	production	Greek (), poetry, poem, creation	hematopoiesis
polio-	having a grey color	Greek (), grey, grizzled	poliomyelitis
poly-	denotes a 'plurality' of something	Greek (), many, a lot of, large, great	polymyositis
por-	pore, porous	Greek (), passage, passageway	pore
porphyr-	denotes a purple color	Greek (), Tyrian purple, royal purple	porphyroblast
post-	denotes something as 'after (time)' or 'behind (space)' another	Latin , after, behind	postoperation, postmortem
pre-	denotes something as 'before' another (in [physical] position or time)	Middle English , from Medieval Latin < (Classical) Latin , before, in front of	premature birth
presby-	old age	Greek (), old man, elder	presbyopia, presbycusis
prim-	denotes something as 'first' or 'most-important'	Latin , first, most important	primary
pro-	denotes something as 'before' another (in [physical] position or time)	Greek (), before, in front of	procephalic
proct-	anus, rectum	Greek (), anus	proctology
prosop-	face	Greek (), face, visage, mask	prosopagnosia
prot-	denotes something as 'first' or 'most important'	Greek (), first; principal, most important	protoneuron
pseud-	denotes something false or fake	Greek (), to lie or deceive	pseudoephedrine
psor-	Itching	Greek (), itch, mange, scurvy	psoriasis
psych-	of or pertaining to the mind	Greek (), breath, life, soul	psychology, psychiatry
ptero-, ptery-	Pertaining to a wing; 'pterygo-', wing-shaped	Greek (), wing, feather	lateral pterygoid plate
-ptosis	falling, drooping, downward placement, prolapse	Greek (), falling	apoptosis, nephroptosis
-ptyal-, ptyalo	saliva, salivary glands, sialaden		ptyalolithiasis
-ptysis	spitting	Greek (), to spit up, disgorge; + (), added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or nouns of action, result or process	hemoptysis, the spitting of blood derived from the lungs or bronchial tubes
pulmon-, pulmo-	of or relating to the lungs	Latin , a lung	pulmonary
py-	pus	Greek (	pyometra
pyel-	pelvis	Greek (), pelvis, wash basin	pyelonephritis
pykno-	to thicken (as the nucleus does in early stages of cell death)	Greek (), thickening	pyknosis
pylor-	gate	Greek (), gate keeper; lower orifice of the stomach	pyloric sphincter
pyr-	fever	Greek , (), fire, heat, fever	antipyretic

Q–R

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
quadr(i)-	four	Latin	quadriceps
radi-	radiation	Latin , I radiate, emit beams; from , ray of light, spoke of a wheel	radiowave
radic-	referring to the beginning, or the root, of a structure, usually a nerve or a vein	Latin , root	radiculopathy
re-	again, back	Latin	relapse
rect-	rectum	abbr. of New Latin ('straight intestine') < Latin , straight	rectal, rectum, rectus femoris
ren(o)	of or pertaining to the kidney	Latin , kidney	renal
reticul(o)-	net	Latin	reticulocyte
retro-	backward, behind	Latin	retroversion, retroverted
rhabd(o)-	rod shaped, striated	Greek (), wand, stick, stripe	rhabdomyolysis
rhachi(o)-	spine	Greek (), spine or backbone	rachial, rachialgia, rachidian, rachiopathy
rhin(o)-	of or pertaining to the nose	Greek , (), nose	rhinoceros, rhinoplasty
rhod(o)-	denoting a rose-red color	Greek (), rose	rhodophyte
-rrhage, -rrhagia	burst forth, rapid flow (of blood, usually)	Greek (), to break, to burst	hemorrhage, menorrhagia
-rrhaphy	surgical suturing	Greek ()	hymenorrhaphy, neurorrhaphy
-rrhea (AmE)	flowing, discharge	Greek (), flow, flux	galactorrhea, diarrhea
-rrhexis	rupture	Greek (), breaking, bursting, discharge	karyorrhexis
-rrhoea (BrE)	flowing, discharge	Greek (), flow, flux	diarrhoea
rubr(o)-	of or pertaining to the red nucleus of the brain	Latin , red	rubrospinal
-rupt	break or burst	Latin	erupt, interrupt

S

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
salping(o)-	of or pertaining to tubes, e.g. fallopian tubes	Greek , , (), trumpet	salpingectomy, salpingopharyngeus muscle
sangui-, sanguine-	of or pertaining to blood	Latin , blood	sanguine
sapro-	relating to putrefaction or decay	Greek (), rotten, putrid	saprogenic
sarco-	muscular, flesh-like	Greek (), flesh	sarcoma, sarcoidosis
scapul(o)-	of or pertaining to the scapula	Latin (), shoulder	scapulothoracic, facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy
schist(o)-	split, cleft	Greek (), cloven, divided	schistocyte
schiz(o)-	denoting something "split" or "double-sided"	Greek (), I split, cleave, part; irregular formation of the verb (), to cut, split	schizophrenia
scler(o)-	hard	Greek ()	scleroderma
-sclerosis	hardening	Greek (), hard, harden; + (), added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or nouns of action, result or process	atherosclerosis, multiple sclerosis
scoli(o)-	twisted	Greek (), curved, bent	scoliosis
-scope	instrument for viewing	Greek (), watcher	stethoscope
-scopy	process of viewing	Greek (), to look at, behold, examine	endoscopy
scoto-	darkness	Greek ()	scotopic vision
semi-	one-half, partly	Latin	semiconscious
sial(o)-	saliva, salivary gland	Latin , saliva.	sialagogue
sigmoid(o)-	sigmoid, S-shaped curvature	Greek (), crescent-shaped, lunate sigma-shaped	sigmoid colon
sinistr(o)-	left, left side	Latin	sinistrocardia
sinus-	of or pertaining to the sinus	Latin , a curve, bend, hollow cavity, bosom	sinusitis
sito-	food, grain	Greek ()	sitophobia
somat(o)-, somatico-	body, bodily	Greek ()	somatic
somn(o)	Sleep	Latin , sleep, drowsiness	insomniac
-spadias	slit, fissure	Greek (), break, split	hypospadias, epispadias
spasmo-	spasm	Greek ()	Spasmodic dysphonia
sperma-, spermo-, spermato-	semen, spermatozoa	Greek (), seed, semen	spermatogenesis
splanchn(i)-, splanchn(o)-	viscera	Greek (), bowels, guts	splanchnology
splen(o)-	spleen	Greek , (), spleen, milt	splenectomy
spondyl(o)-	of or pertaining to the spine, the vertebra	Greek / (), the spine	spondylitis
squamos(o)-	denoting something as "full of scales" or "scaly"	Latin , full of scales, scaly	squamous cell
-stalsis	contraction	Greek (), I dispatch, place, set	peristalsis
-stasis	stopping, standing	Greek (), to stand, place, set	cytostasis, homeostasis
-statin	maintain cholesterol	Latin (stare), to remain or instill	Statin
-staxis	dripping, trickling	Greek , (), drip, leak, trickle	epistaxis
sten(o)-	denoting something as narrow in shape or pertaining to narrowness	Greek (), narrow, short	stenography
-stenosis	abnormal narrowing of a blood vessel or other tubular organ or structure	Greek (), narrow, short; + (), added to verb stems to form abstract nouns or nouns of action, result or process	restenosis, stenosis
steth-	of or pertaining to the upper chest, the area above the breast and under the neck	Greek (), chest, cuirass	stethoscope
stheno-	strength, force, power	Greek ()
stom-, stomat-	of or pertaining to the mouth; an artificially created opening	Greek , (), mouth	stomatogastric, stomatognathic system
-stomy	creation of an opening	New Latin , opening; from Greek ()	colostomy
sub-	beneath, under	Latin	subcutaneous tissue
super-	in excess, above, superior	Latin	superior vena cava
supra-	above, excessive	Latin	supraorbital vein
sy, syl-, sym-, syn-, sys-	indicates similarity, likeness, or being together; assimilates before some consonants: before l to syl-, s to sys-, before a labial consonant to sym-	Greek (), with, together	symptom, synalgia, synesthesia, syssarcosis

T

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
tachy-	denoting something as fast, irregularly fast	Greek (), fast, quickly	tachycardia, tachypnea
-tension, -tensive	pressure	Latin , stretching, extension, tension	hypertension
terato-	Monster	Greek ()	teratoma, teratogen
tetan-	rigid, tense	Greek ()	tetanus
thec-	case, sheath	Greek ()	intrathecal
thel-	of or pertaining to a nipple (uncommon as a prefix)	Greek (), a teat, nipple	Theleplasty, thelarche
thely-	denoting something as relating to a woman, feminine	Greek (), female, feminine	Thelygenous
therap-	treatment	Greek ()	hydrotherapy, therapeutic
therm(o)-	heat	Greek ()	hypothermia, thermoregulation
thorac(i)-, thorac(o)-, thoracico-	of or pertaining to the upper chest, chest; the area above the breast and under the neck	Latin < Greek (), chest, cuirass	thoracic spine, thorax
thromb(o)-	of or relating to a blood clot, clotting of blood	Greek (), lump, piece, clot of blood	thrombus, thrombocytopenia
thyr(o)-	thyroid	Greek (), large oblong shield; + (), a form or shape
thym-	emotions	Greek (), spirit, soul; courage; breath, mind, emotions	dysthymia
-tic	pertaining to	Greek (), adjective-forming suffix denoting: relating to, able to, suited to
-tide	bound to, forming a noun from an adjective by dropping -ic and adding -tide.	Greek (), adjective-forming suffix denoting: bound to, relating to, able to, suited to	Glycopeptide Nucleotide Peptide
toco-	childbirth	Greek ()	tocolytic, dystocia
-tome	cutting instrument	Greek (), intersection	osteotome
-tomy	act of cutting; incising, incision	Greek ()	Gastrotomy, Phlebotomy
ton-	tone, tension, pressure	Greek (), rope, cord; tension	Tonicity, Isotonic saline
-tony	tension	Greek ()	Hypotonia
top(o)-	place, topical	Greek ()	Topical anesthetic
tort(i)-	twisted	Latin	Torticollis, Testicular torsion
tox(i)-, tox(o)-, toxic(o)-	toxin, poison	Greek (), bow (archery), bow-related; from Greek (), poison for smearing arrows with	Toxoplasmosis, Toxidrome
trache(a)-	trachea	Greek (), windpipe	Tracheotomy
trachel(o)-	of or pertaining to the neck	Greek (), neck	Tracheloplasty
trans-	denoting something as moving or situated across or through	Latin , across, through	Transfusion
tri-	three	Latin	Triceps, Trisomy
trich(i)-, trichia, trich(o)-	of or pertaining to hair, hair-like structure	Greek (), hair	Trichocyst
-tripsy	crushing	Greek (), rubbing, friction	Lithotripsy
-trophy	nourishment, development	Greek (), food, nourishment	Pseudohypertrophy
-trop	turned toward, with an orientation toward, having an affinity for, affecting	Greek (), a turn, way, manner, style	Geotropic, Phototropic
tympan(o)-	eardrum	Greek (), drum, eardrum	Tympanocentesis, Tensor tympani

U

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
-ula, -ule	small	Latin	Nodule
ultra-	beyond, excessive	Latin	ultrasound, ultraviolet
umbilic-	of or pertaining to the navel, the umbilicus	Latin , navel, belly-button	umbilical
ungui-	of or pertaining to the nail, a claw	Latin , nail, claw	unguiform, ungual
un(i)-	one	Latin	unilateral hearing loss
ur-	of or pertaining to urine, the urinary system	Greek (); (), urine	antidiuretic, diuresis, diuretic, dysuria, enuresis, polyurea, polyuria, uraemia/uremia, uremic, ureter, urethra, urology
urin-	of or pertaining to urine, the urinary system	Latin , urine < Greek (), see ur- above.	uriniferous
uter(o)-	of or pertaining to the uterus or womb	Latin , womb, uterus	uterus

V

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
vagin-	of or pertaining to the vagina	Latin , sheath, scabbard; vagina	vaginal epithelium
varic(o)-	swollen or twisted vein	Latin	varicose, esophageal varices
vas(o)-	duct, blood vessel	Latin , vessel, dish, vase	vasoconstriction
vasculo-	blood vessel	Latin	cardiovascular
ven-	of or pertaining to the veins, venous blood, and the vascular system	Latin , blood-vessel, vein	venule, venospasm
ventr(o)-	of or pertaining to the belly, the stomach cavities	Latin , belly, stomach, womb	ventrodorsal
ventricul(o)-	of or pertaining to the ventricles; any hollow region inside an organ	Latin , the ventricles of the heart, the ventricles of the brain	cardiac ventriculography, atrioventricular node
-version	turning	Latin	anteversion, retroversion
vesic(o)-	of or pertaining to the bladder	Latin , bladder, blister	vesical arteries
viscer(o)-	of or pertaining to the internal organs, the viscera	Latin (pl. ), internal organ(s)	viscera

X–Z

Affix	Meaning	Origin language and etymology	Example(s)
xanth(o)-	having a yellow color, especially an abnormally yellow color	Greek (), yellow	xanthopathy xanthelasma
xen(o)-	foreign, different	Greek (), foreign, stranger	xenograft
xer(o)-	dry, desert-like	Greek (), dry	xerostomia, xeroderma
xiph-	sword	Greek (), sword	xiphisternum, xiphoid, xiphoidalgia
-y	condition or process of	Latin , from Greek , (), suffixes used to form abstract nouns	surgery
ze-	boil	Greek (), to boil, seethe, bubble	eczema
zo(o)-	animal, animal life	Greek ()	zoology
zym(o)-	fermentation	Greek (), leaven, yeast	enzyme, lysozyme

English meanings

This section contains lists of different root classification (e.g. body components, quantity, description, etc.). Each list is alphabetized by English meanings, with the corresponding Greek and Latin roots given.

Roots of the body

Roots of bodily concepts

Bodily concept	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
digestion	-pepsia	–	–
disease	-pathy	–	–
eating	-phagia	-vory	–

Body parts and substances

Body part or component	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
abdomen		abdomin-	–
aorta	aort-	–	–
arm		arm-	–
armpit		axill-	–
artery		–	–
back		dors-	–
big toe	–	allic-, hallic-	–
bladder		vesic-	–
blood	(Br. English); hem(at)- (Am. English)	sangui-, sanguin-	–
blood clot		–	–
blood vessel	angi-	vas-, vascul-	–
body	, somat-	corpor-	–
bone		ossi-	–
bone marrow, marrow		medull-	–
brain	encephal-	cerebr-	–
breast		mamm-	–
chest		pector-	–
cheek	parei-	bucc-	–
ear		aur(i)-	–
eggs, ova	oo-	ov-	–
eye	ophthalm(o)-	ocul(o)-	optic(o)- (French)
eyelid	blephar(o)-	cili-, palpebr-	–
face	prosop(o)-	faci(o)-	–
fallopian tubes	salping(o)-	–	–
fat, fatty tissue	lip(o)-	adip-	–
finger	dactyl(o)-	digit-	–
forehead	–	front(o)-	–
gallbladder	cholecyst(o)-	fell-	–
genitals, sexually undifferentiated	gon(o)-, phall(o)-	–	–
gland	aden(o)-	–	–
glans penis or clitoridis	balan(o)-	–	–
gums	–	gingiv-	–
hair	trich(o)-	capill-	–
hands	cheir(o)-, chir(o)-	manu-	–
head	cephal(o)-	capit(o)-	–
heart	cardi(o)-	cordi-	–
hip, hip-joint	–	cox-	–
horn	cerat(o)-	cornu-	–
intestine	enter(o)-	–	–
jaw	gnath(o)-	–	–
kidney	nephr(o)-	ren-	–
knee	gon-	genu-	–
lip	cheil(o)-, chil(o)-	labi(o)-	–
liver	hepat(o)-	jecor-	–
loins, pubic region	episi(o)-	pudend-	–
lungs	pneumon-	pulmon(i)-, (pulmo-)	–
marrow, bone marrow	myel(o)-	medull-	–
mind	psych-	ment-	–
mouth	stomat(o)-	or-	–
muscle	my(o)-	–	–
nail	onych(o)-	ungui-	–
navel	omphal(o)-	umbilic-	–
neck	trachel(o)-	cervic-	–
nerve; the nervous system	neur(o)-	nerv-	–
nipple, teat	thele-	papill-, mammill-	–
nose	rhin(o)-	nas-	–
ovary	oophor(o)-	ovari(o)-	–
pelvis	pyel(o)-	pelv(i)-	–
penis	pe(o)-	–	–
pupil (of the eye)	cor-, core-, coro-	–	–
rib	pleur(o)-	cost(o)-	–
rib cage	thorac(i)-, thorac(o)-	–	–
shoulder	om(o)-	(o)-	–
sinus	–	sinus-	–
skin	derm-, dermat(o)-	cut-, cuticul-	–
skull	crani(o)-	–	–
stomach	gastr(o)-	ventr(o)-	–
testis	orchi(o)-, orchid(o)-	–	–
throat (upper throat cavity)	pharyng(o)-	–	–
throat (lower throat cavity/voice box)	laryng(o)-	–	–
thumb	–	pollic-	–
tooth	odont(o)-	dent(i)-	–
tongue	gloss-, glott-	lingu(a)-	–
toe	dactyl(o)-	digit-	–
tumour	cel-, onc(o)-	tum-	–
ureter	ureter(o)-	ureter(o)-	–
urethra	urethr(o)-, urethr(a)-	urethr(o)-, urethr(a)-	–
urine, urinary system	ur(o)-	urin(o)-	–
uterine tubes	salping(o)-	salping(o)-	–
uterus	hyster(o)-, metr(o)-	uter(o)-	–
vagina	colp(o)-	vagin-	–
vein	phleb(o)-	ven-	–
vulva	episi(o)-	vulv-	–
womb	hyster(o)-, metr(o)-	uter(o)-	–
wrist	carp(o)-	carp(o)-	–

Roots of color

Color	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
black		atr-, nigr-	–
blue		cerule-	–
gold		aur-	–
gray, grey		can-	–
green		vir-	–
purple	porphyr-	purpur-, purpureo-	–
red	, rhod-	rub-, rubr-, ruf-	–
red-orange	cirrh-	–	–
silver	–	argent-	–
white	leuc-, leuk-	alb-, cand-	–
yellow		flav-	jaun- (French)

Roots of description

Description	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
bad, incorrect	cac-, dys-	mal-	mis-
bent, crooked	ankyl-	prav-	–
big	mega-, megal(o)-	magn(i)-	–
biggest	megist-	maxim-	–
broad, wide	eury-	lat(i)-	–
cold	cry(o)-	frig(i)-	–
dead	necr(o)-	mort-	–
equal	is(o)-	equ(i)-	–
false	pseud(o)-	fals(i)-	–
fast	tachy-	celer-	–
female, feminine	thely-	–	–
flat	platy-	plan(i)-	–
good, well	eu-	ben(e)-, bon(i)-	–
great	mega-, megal(o)-	magn(i)-	–
hard	scler(o)-	dur(i)-	–
heavy	bar(o)-	grav(i)-	–
hollow	coel(o)-	cav(i)-	–
huge	megal(o)-	magn(i)-	–
irregular	poikil(o)	–	–
large; extremely large	mega-	magn(i)-	–
largest	megist-	maxim-	–
long	macr(o)-	long(i)-	–
male, masculine	arseno-	vir-	–
narrow	sten(o)-	angust(i)-	–
new	ne(o)-	nov(i)-	–
normal, correct	orth(o)-	rect(i)-	–
old	paleo-	veter-	–
sharp	oxy-	ac-	–
short	brachy-	brev(i)-	–
small	micr(o)-	parv(i)- (rare)	–
smallest	–	minim-	–
slow	brady-	tard(i)-	–
soft	malac(o)-	moll(i)-	–
straight	orth(o)-	rect(i)-	–
thick	pachy-	crass(i)-	–
varied, various	poikilo-	vari-	–

Roots of position

Description	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
around, surrounding	peri-	circum-	–
internal, within	endo-	intra-	–
left	levo-	laev-, sinistr-	–
middle	meso-, mes-	medi-	–
right	dexi-	dex-, dextr-, dextro-	–

Prefixes of quantity or amount

Description	Greek root in English	Latin root in English	Other root in English
double	diplo-	dupli-	–
equal	iso-	equi-	–
few	oligo-	pauci-	–
half	hemi-	semi-	demi- (French)
many, much	poly-	multi-	–
twice	dis-	bis-	–

See also

• Glossary of medicine
• Classical compound
• International scientific vocabulary
• List of medical abbreviations
• Medical dictionary
• Medicine
• List of commonly used taxonomic affixes

External links

• "Root Words & Prefixes: Quick Reference." LearnThatWord. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 March 2013.